Without Googling, do you know this Final Jeopardy question?

We’re finally getting an overlay up here next year in the 705 (Central, NE Ontario). It’ll be area code 249.

I missed it. I was guessing overlap code, which is just a nomenclature error. We’ve been able to avoid it so far in the 805.

You know, I even lived in Atlanta when they went ten digit and I never once heard “overlay”.

I would have missed it. I actually was living in NYC at the time, but I don’t recall the word “overlay.”

I’ve lived in two cities that had 10 digit dialing installed for the first time and I never heard it called overlay area codes. I would have answered the Final Jeopardy “What is a second area code?”

Ditto. I’ve never heard the term before.

Don’t know if they would have accepted that for an answer, but it is ambiguous. In the past, districts were always split to get a second area code. With overlays, they aren’t. Either way, the geographic area now has a second area code.

I knew what they wanted, but not the terminology. So I would have missed it.

I work in the telecom field and I would not have guessed “overlay”. I thought Jeopardy was supposed to be general knowledge trivia. When I’m at work I use the term “overlay” but not in exactly that context, but when answering Jeopardy questions (or, more accurately, when questioning the answers), I automatically go into “regular person, non-industry jargon” mode. The term would not have occurred to me.

My husband and I debated what it would be called. We both understood the concept and new 917 to be a secondary, or split, or second, or added, or…area code for New York city. He decided he would have written split area code and I landed on added.

No money for us…

We have 10 digit dialing here; I’ve never heard the term “overlay” before.

Never heard the term.

fusoya:

Huh…I did hear of 646 cell phones, but I had always thought 917 was dedicated for mobile use.

That’s for the 718-ers.

What exactly did the three contestants answer? I’m pretty much like everyone else: I’d seen the Seindfeld episode, knew it had something to do with area codes, but I didn’t recall them using the term overlay. So I figured maybe it was the first use of a specific area code for cell phones. What did the contestants think? Did any of them guess cell phone area code, but not use the term overlay? Did they get angry and shout at Alex and the camera like Cliff Clavin? Have there been any other good sitcom episodes involving area codes and/or Jeopardy?

I would have guessed something like “second area code” or “added area code”—would I have gotten credit for that? Like others here, I am unfamiliar with the term “overlay.”

It’s the same as 212, they just multiplied everything by three …and added one to the middle number.

“Second area code” is what occurred to me, but since the category was Telecommunications Terminology, I don’t think anything but “overlay” would be acceptable (unless there’s some other peice of jargon with a similar meaning).

Isn’t Alex even more condescending when he happens to know the answer himself?

Not only did I not get it, I still don’t get it.

What’s an overlay area code? :confused:

They all put “area code” in desperation; they all knew it was wrong but couldn’t come up with anything else.